PhD in Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) Communities

The United Nations University – International Institute for Software Technology (UNU-IIST), located in Macau, is accepting applications for one scholarship as PhD candidate to carry out research as part of a project on Peer-Production Approaches to e-Learning within a collaboration between UNU-IIST, the University of Macau and the University of Pisa, Italy.

Research Topic
The PhD candidate will be directly involved in the analysis of collaborative networks and Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) projects, with a special focus on the identification and description of learning processes, development of e-learning models based on the peer-production paradigm, definition of pedagogical metrics for such models and continuous monitoring of their implementation as well as benchmarking towards the outcomes of the preliminary data analysis.

Selection Criteria
Candidates for the position should have

a Master degree in computer science, software engineering, or information and communication technology, or in a similar discipline;

Previous experience in Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) project participation and in empirical software engineering, knowledge of antipattern technology, pedagogical metrics and standardised models for learning behaviours and background in statistics are advantages.

Study and Scholarship Conditions

The PhD candidate will be enrolled in the double degree PhD programme in ICT for Sustainable Development of the United Nations University and the University of Pisa, will work under the direction and supervision of Dr. Antonio Cerone, UNU-IIST Research Fellow, and will be also co-supervised by Dr Simon Fong, University of Macau, and by one of the leading members of the Knowledge Discovery and Delivery Laboratory – KDD Lab, a joint research lab of the University of Pisa and ISTI-CNR.

The duration of the study and the scholarship is 42 months, of which at least 6 months will be spent in Pisa. Starting date is 7 January 2013.

Monthly stipend will be USD 1,000 during the stay in Macau and USD 1,500 during the stay in Pisa. Health insurance is provided free of charge. During the stay in Macau accommodation (except utility costs) is also provided free of charge.

PhD Degree
Upon successful completion of the graduation requirements the PhD candidate will be awarded a PhD in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and will receive two distinct PhD diplomas from the United Nations University and from the University of Pisa.

Admission Requirements and Application

Applicants must have been awarded or should plan to be awarded the required Master degree no later than 7 December 2012.

Applications should be sent via email to: scholarship-ste@iist.unu.edu.

Details about the application procedure and the admission requirements are in the PhD General Call for Applications available here

The Scholarship Code (PHD-EDU-2) should be indicated in the PhD Application Form.